North American area code 928 is a telephone area code in the state of Arizona that was created in a split from area Code 520 on June 23, 2001, due mainly to population gains in Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. 928 covers northern, eastern, and western portions of Arizona. The area code encompasses areas such as the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Prescott, Wickenburg, and Yuma, also serving the majority of Greenlee County. The Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation is served by the 928 area code. Some areas on the northern fringe of the Phoenix metropolitan area such as Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Peoria also fall within this area code.

See also[link]

• List of NANP area codes
• North American Numbering Plan

External links[link]

• NANPA Area Code Map of Arizona
• List of exchanges from AreaCodeDownload.com, 928 Area Code

Shawn Lane
Background information
Born	(1963-03-21)March 21, 1963 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Died	September 26, 2003(2003-09-26) (aged 40) Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Instrumental rock, jazz fusion, world fusion
Occupations	Musician, composer, producer
Instruments	Guitar, piano, keyboard
Years active	1977–2003
Labels	Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Jonas Hellborg/Jeff Sipe, Black Oak Arkansas, Savage Innocence, D.D.T., The Willys
Website	shawnlane.com
Notable instruments
Vigier Excalibur

Shawn Lane (March 21, 1963 – September 26, 2003) was an American musician who released two studio-albums and collaborated with musicians, such as Ringo Starr and Jonas Hellborg. After studying the piano, he rapidly mastered the guitar, which he played with exceptional speed. The magazine Guitar World wrote, "Few, if any, guitarists can play faster than Lane could, and his arpeggio sweeps and precision-picked lines blasted more rapid-fire notes than the average human mind could comprehend."^[1]

Youth[link]

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Lane began playing piano with his sisters at the age of eight, but did not play guitar seriously until he was ten. At age thirteen he began to practice heavily. At fourteen, he became the lead guitarist for Black Oak Arkansas (BOA), which over the next four years opened shows for REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, the Outlaws, Cheap Trick, and Blue Öyster Cult. BOA playing at Bill Clinton's inaugural as Governor of Arkansas.

At age fifteen Lane saw Allan Holdsworth play guitar with the progressive band U.K., which inspired him to develop his own style of playing guitar.^[2] Lane also played in Savage Innocence with singer Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, guitarist Keith Plunk, keyboardist Billy Batte, drummer Chris Craig and bassist Kinley Wolfe. As the original members dropped out, Lane replaced them with players from his high school days. Lane began to play a style close to jazz fusion. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Lane played in The Willys, a band consisting of singer/bassist Rob Caudill, keyboardist Sam Bryant and drummer Russ Caudill.

Adulthood and piano[link]

From age eighteen to twenty six, Lane studied music, composed music, and played piano.^{[citation needed]} Much of the material on Lane's first studio album, Powers of Ten, was written on his home piano.^[2][3] He quickly developed his technique on the keyboard as well, taking influence from pianists such as Franz Liszt, Art Tatum and Georges Cziffra.^[4]

His demo tapes won him a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. Except for one cover song, Lane wrote all the material and played all the instruments on his debut album. The album sold well and earned several magazine awards.^[5] Following its release in 1992, Guitar Player magazine named him "Best New Talent" and Keyboard Magazine placed him second in the "Best Keyboard Player" category. During the production of the album Lane continued to play live shows and do session work. He also performed on the Mark Varney Project's Centrifugal Funk album along with Brett Garsed and Frank Gambale. To promote the album, he formed The Powers of Ten band with Barry Bays on bass, keyboardist Doug Scarborough, Todd Bobo on saxophone and drummer Sean Rickman; they opened for Robben Ford's US tour.^{[citation needed]}

Lane released two more solo albums following his debut, Powers of Ten; Live!, recorded live in 1993, and The Tri-Tone Fascination in 1999.

Collaborations[link]

When Lane met bassist Jonas Hellborg in 1994. Lane and Hellborg played with drummer Jeff Sipe in HLS (Hellborg, Lane, Sipe). Between 1994–1995, Lane played with D.D.T., a band consisting of Paul Taylor, Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson; the latter three would then form the North Mississippi Allstars. In September 1995, Hellborg, Lane and drummer Anders Johansson played with Chinese pop singer Wei Wei and the trio appeared as an opening act at many of China's largest musical venues.^{[citation needed]} Lane played the Warsaw Summer Jazz Days festival on 19 June 1998 with Hellborg and Felix Sabel-Lecco. Later, Lane and Hellborg formed an East-West fusion band with Indian musicians V. Selvaganesh and V. Umamahesh. While in Memphis, Lane would play with the Time Bandits, with singer Regina Parker, steel guitarist Tony Sutton, drummer Steve Sutton and bassist Adam Sutton. In February 2003, Lane and Hellborg toured India with drummer Andrea Marchesini. Shawn played the Swedish Jazz Celebration Festival, Stockholm, on 29th March 2003 with Hellborg, V. Umamahesh, V. Umashankar and Ramakrishnan. Lane's last concert performance was at Smilefest in North Carolina with Hellborg and Jim Britt on May 31 2003. In September 2003 Shawn Lane was preparing for a new album with Hellborg and Ginger Baker.^{[citation needed]}

Health and 2003 death[link]

Lane had psoriasis throughout his life. After age twelve, he also also suffered from psoriatic arthritis, which caused stiffness in his guitar playing only after 2000. His psoriasis was treated with hydrocortisone, which caused his weight to increase.^[2] In 2003, Lane was told that he would have to remain on medical oxygen the rest of his life.^[6]

Lane died in a hospital in Memphis on September 26, 2003 of lung-related illnesses.^[3][6] His body was buried at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis.^[7]

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• 1992: "West Side Boogie" (promotional single)^[8]
• 1992: Powers of Ten, Warner Bros
• 1999: The Tri-Tone Fascination, Eye Reckon Records
• 2001: Powers of Ten; Live!, Eye Reckon Records

Instructional

• Shawn Lane - Power Licks - REH837, 1993, (VHS)
• Shawn Lane - Power Solos - REH838, 1993, (VHS)
• Shawn Lane - Power Licks & Solos, 1995, Warner Brother Publications

With Jonas Hellborg[link]

• 1995: Abstract Logic, Bardo Records
• 1995: Two Doors, with Michael Shrieve, CMP Records
• 1996: Temporal Analogues of Paradise, Bardo Records
• 1997: Time Is the Enemy, Bardo Records
• 1999: Zenhouse, Bardo Records
• 2000: Good People in Times of Evil, Bardo Records
• 2002: Personae, Bardo Records
• 2003: Icon: A Transcontinental Gathering, Bardo Records
• 2004: Paris: DVD release of the 2001 concert at New Morning, Bardo Records

Other appearances[link]

• 1984: U.S. Metal Vol. IV - Unsung Guitar Heroes, Stratosphere II, Shrapnel Records
• 1989: Looking for shelter, Michael Bradley & Mark Lindsay
• 1990: Highwayman 2 - The Highwaymen (country supergroup), Columbia Nashville
• 1990: Son of the South - Toy Caldwell, Blue Hat Records
• 1991: Worrall - Rick & Steve Worrall with Jimi Jamison, A&M, re-release on Yesterrock Records
• 1991: Centrifugal Funk with Frank Gambale Brett Garsed, Legato Records
• 1991: When Love Comes Down, Jimi Jamison, Scotti Bros label
• 1992: Guitar on the edge, Vol 1, No.1, Legato Records
• 1992: Guitar on the edge, Vol 1, No.2 with David Ormonde Thomas, Legato Records
• 1992: On the way home, David Ormonde Thomas, Ethereal Thunder Productions
• 1993: A Little On The CD Side, Vol. 7, Musician Magazine, PRO MST 9107
• 1994: Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol 111, Guitar Recordings
• 1995: Red Reign, Steven Patrick, Emerald Stare Records
• 1996: Guitar Zone, CMP Records
• 1996: Exploring the Frontiers of Rock, Jazz and World Music, CMP Records
• 1996: New Spirits in Jazz - part 2, EFA Records
• 1997: Fission, Jens Johansson, with Mike Stern, Heptagon Records
• 1997: Calvin Russell, Calvin Russell (musician), Last Call Records
• 1998: One road man, Chris LeDoux, Capitol Nashville Records
• 1999: Parker Card & The Sideman Syndicate, Parker Card, with Eric Gales, Orchard Records
• 2000: Mood Du Jour, Doug Scarborough, Hapi Skratch Records
• 2003: Polaris, North Mississippi Allstars, ATO Records
• 2004: Richard Hallebeek Project, with Brett Garsed, Liquid Note Records
• 2004: Shawn Lane Remembered Vol 1, Lion Music
• 2004: Shawn Lane Remembered Vol 2, Lion Music
• 2009: The World's Greatest Fusion Guitarists, Tone Centre
• 2010: 'Infinity' featured on the soundtrack to Daniele Luchetti "La Nostra Vita"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Steppin Out
• Article in All About Jazz by Souvik Dutta

Sedona, Arizona
—  City  —
Cathedral Rock from Red Rock Crossing
Location in Yavapai County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.86°N 111.78917°W / 34.86; -111.78917Coordinates: 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.86°N 111.78917°W / 34.86; -111.78917
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Counties	Yavapai, Coconino
Founded	1902
Incorporated	1988
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Rob Adams
Area
• Total	18.0 sq mi (46.0 km2)
• Land	17.9 sq mi (45.6 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	4,326 ft (1,319 m)
Population (2010)[1]
• Total	10,031
• Density	560/sq mi (220/km2)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
ZIP code	86336
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-65350
Website	www.sedonaaz.gov

Sedona ( /sɨˈdoʊnə/) is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,031.^[1]

Sedona's main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.

Sedona is named after Sedona Arabelle Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of Theodore Carlton Schnebly, the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.^[2]

History[link]

The Chapel of the Holy Cross, 2010

Native American[link]

The Yavapai and Apache tribes were forcibly removed from the Verde Valley in 1876, to the San Carlos Indian Reservation, 180 miles southeast. 1500 people were marched, in midwinter, to San Carlos. Several hundred lost their lives. The survivors were interned for 25 years. About 200 Yavapai and Apache people returned to the Verde Valley in 1900 and have since intermingled as a single political entity although culturally distinct.^[3]

Anglo-American settlement[link]

The first Anglo settler, John J. Thompson, moved into Oak Creek Canyon in 1876. The early settlers were farmers and ranchers. Oak Creek Canyon was well known for its peach and apple orchards. In 1902, when the Sedona post office was established, there were 55 residents. In the mid-1950s, the first telephone directory listed 155 names. Parts of the Sedona area weren't electrified until the 1960s.

Sedona began to develop as a tourist destination, vacation-home and retirement center in the 1950s. Most of the development seen today was constructed in the 1980s and 1990s. As of 2007, there are no large tracts of undeveloped land remaining.^[4]

Chapel of the Holy Cross[link]

In 1956, work on a new chapel, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, was completed. Inspired by the architecture of the Empire State Building, this chapel appears to rise 250 feet out of a thousand foot red rock formation characteristic of Sedona. The sunset strikes the chapel from the front, naturally lighting the chapel in the evening.^[5]

Political structure[link]

Politically, Uptown Sedona, the Gallery District and the Chapel area (all in Coconino County) and West Sedona (in Yavapai County) form the City of Sedona. Originally founded in 1902, the town was incorporated into a city in January 1988. The unincorporated Village of Oak Creek, seven miles (11 km) to the south and well outside the Sedona city limits, is a significant part of the Sedona community.

Cinematic legacy[link]

Sedona played host to more than sixty Hollywood productions from the first years of movies into the 1970s. The small town, which served as a kind of microcosm of Hollywood history, sits about 120 miles north of Phoenix, nestled between thousand-foot-high walls of stone in lushly forested Oak Creek Canyon and the wide open space of the Verde Valley, and it was the diversity of this unspoiled landscape that made it such an ideal location to shoot outdoor scenes. Stretching as far back as 1923, Sedona’s signature red rocks were a fixture in major Hollywood productions—including enduring favorites such as Johnny Guitar, Angel and the Badman, Desert Fury, Blood on the Moon, and 3:10 to Yuma—but typically were identified to audiences as the terrain of Texas, California, Nevada, and even Canadian border territory. For fifty years, this picturesque desert outpost quietly played host to Hollywood legends in the making, yet the town is rarely found in standard histories of the movies.

Sedona’s Hollywood legacy offers nothing less than a timeline of history—of moviemaking in America and the popular culture of the years that shaped it. The story begins in the silent era, when Zane Grey’s The Call of the Canyon and Kit Carson, with Joseph P. Kennedy’s doomed movie superstar Fred Thomson, were filmed in the Oak Creek Canyon area just outside Sedona proper. The 1930s saw the arrival of a dozen B westerns, including four visits from silent film idol turned talkie cowboy star George O’Brien and the only Hopalong Cassidy film ever shot outside California. The decade also saw Sedona cast in her most historically significant movie role, as the promised land of milk and honey in Der Kaiser von Kalifornien, a Nazi western designed to validate Adolf Hitler’s schemes of territorial expansion to the people of Germany.

When John Ford’s production of Stagecoach pulled into town in 1938 (a Sedona connection that has eluded historians since the film was made), it set off three solid decades of A-picture activity—forty-four features through 1973, helped along by the construction of Sedona Lodge, the only permanent boarding and production facility ever built specifically for movie crews on remote location in the United States. During those years, many of Hollywood’s biggest names were photographed in front of Sedona’s signature landscape, from Errol Flynn to Gene Tierney, John Wayne to Joan Crawford, James Stewart to Lizabeth Scott, Robert Mitchum to Elvis Presley.

Sedona – which promoted itself as "Arizona's Little Hollywood" – wasn’t only a cinematic romping ground for cowboys. In the years that followed World War II, shadows darkened the scenery to add psychological complexity to a number of early film noir dramas, like Leave Her to Heaven, while at the same time a secret battle involving blacklisted Broken Arrow screenwriter Albert Maltz, a prominent member of the “Hollywood Ten," was being fought on the same dusty ground.^[6]

Fire[link]

The Brins fire of 2006

On June 18, 2006, a wildfire, reportedly started by campers, began about one mile (1.6 km) north of Sedona.^[7] The so-called "Brins Fire" covered 4,317 acres (17 km²) on Brins Mesa, Wilson Mountain and in Oak Creek Canyon before the USDA Forest Service declared it 100% contained on June 28. Containment cost was estimated at $6,400,000.^[8]

Geography and geology[link]

Sedona is located at 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.859897°N 111.789199°W / 34.859897; -111.789199,^[9] which is in the Upper Sonoran Desert of northern Arizona. At an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,372 m), Sedona has mild winters and summers.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.0 square miles (47 km²), nearly all of it land.

The famous red rocks of Sedona are formed by a layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of red to orange-colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone, a member of the Supai Group, was deposited during the Permian Period.

Climate[link]

Sedona has a temperate high desert climate. In January, the average high temperature is 57°F (14°C) with a low of 31°F (-1°C). In July, the average high temperature is 97°F (34°C) with a low of 64°F (17°C). Annual precipitation is just over 19 inches.^[10]

Panoramic view of Sedona from the "vortex" point near the Sedona airport. The famous bell rock, located on the south side of the "vortex" point, can be seen on the right side of the photo. Major parts of the town are in the middle of the photo. This picture was taken in October, 2009.

Panoramic view of the immediate Sedona area, covering an angle of view of approximately 90 degrees. The line of bare (deciduous) trees at center left marks the course of Oak Creek.

Demographics[link]

Sedona Airport viewed from the south, showing its location atop Airport Mesa

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 10,192 people, 4,928 households, and 2,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 548.0 people per square mile (211.6/km²). There were 5,684 housing units at an average density of 305.6 per square mile (118.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.17% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 8.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

At the 2000 census there were 7,229 people living in the Yavapai County (western) portion of the city (70.9% of its population) and 2,963 living in the Coconino County (eastern) portion (29.1%). By land area Yavapai had 66.2% of its area, versus 33.8% for Coconino.^[14]

There were 4,928 households out of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.52.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,042, and the median income for a family was $52,659. Males had a median income of $32,067 versus $24,453 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,350. About 4.7% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and special events[link]

Numerous events are hosted annually in the Sedona area, including:

• Sedona Bluegrass Festival [1]
• Sedona International Film Festival
• Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival [2]
• Sedona Marathon [3]
• The Sedona Miracle Annual Charity Fundraiser [4]

Sedona is home to several notable arts organizations in Northern Arizona.

• Chamber Music Sedona sponsors a chamber music program annually from October to May. They also sponsor the MET:Live in HD opera broadcasts in Sedona. The 2012-2013 season will mark the 30th anniversary for the organization.
• The Sedona Arts Center, founded in 1958, is the oldest arts center in northern Arizona.
• The Sedona Jazz on the Rocks festival, founded in 1982, takes place annually at Poco Diablo Resort and other locations over four days in late September. According to its Web site, the festival was canceled in 2009 due to the nationwide economic slump but returned in 2011.
• Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop was established in 1995. The week-long annual festival takes place in late February and early March at Harkins Theatres while supplemental events take place at area resorts and restaurants. The festival also hosts monthly events.
• GumptionFest, established in 2006, is one of the largest free music and arts festivals in Northern Arizona, according to the Sedona Red Rock News.[5]
• NORAZ Poets, extant from 2003 to 2007, was a nonprofit poetry network based in Sedona.

Education[link]

Sedona is served by the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District.

West Sedona Elementary School, K-8 Located at 570 Posse Ground Rd

[[Red Rock Early Learning Center]], a year-round Preschool program that is designed for children ages 3/4/5 years old. The normal school year runs from August to May each year with a Summer session offered during June and July. Licensed by ADHS. Located in West Sedona Elementary School building 300.

Verde Valley School, a boarding International Baccalaureate high school with many international students, is located between the Village of Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing. It hosts numerous 'traditions' and performances open to the community. The mascot is the coyote. Total attendance measures about 120 students per year, grades 9-12, Monday through Friday.

Sedona Red Rock High School (SRRHS), built in 1994, is located on the western edge of town in West Sedona. The school's mascot is the Scorpion. The high school's new campus, a series of single story buildings, is located opposite the Sedona campus of Yavapai College.

Sedona Charter School (SCS) is located behind the Sedona Public Library, serving as a Montessori-based school for grades K-8.

Yavapai College's Sedona Center for Arts & Technology includes the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, the Business Partnership Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the University of Arizona Mini Med School.

University of Sedona, a non-traditional institute providing ministerial training and education in metaphysics.

Vortices[link]

There is a specialized New Age tourist industry in Sedona, where the "Harmonic Convergence" was organized by Jose Arguelles in 1987. Some purport that "spiritual vortices" (local vernacular is "vortexes") are concentrated in the Sedona area at Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon.^[15][16]

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

Arizona portal

• Chapel of the Holy Cross
• Village of Oak Creek
• Oak Creek Canyon
• Mogollon Rim
• Sedona Airport

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sedona, Arizona

• City website
• Sedona Chamber of Commerce
• Sedona Public Library
• Sedona travel guide from Wikitravel
• Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest
• Oak Creek Canyon information

v t e Municipalities and communities of Coconino County, Arizona, United States County seat: Flagstaff Cities Flagstaff Page Sedona‡ Williams Towns Fredonia Tusayan CDPs Bitter Springs Cameron Doney Park Grand Canyon Village Kachina Village Kaibab‡ Kaibito Lechee Leupp Moenkopi Mountainaire Munds Park Parks Supai Tonalea Tuba City Winslow West‡ Unincorporated communities Bellemont Forest Lakes Gray Mountain Happy Jack Hualapai Hilltop Jacob Lake Marble Canyon North Rim Ryan Valle Winona Indian reservations Hopi Hualapai Havasupai Kaibab Navajo Ghost town Canyon Diablo Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Municipalities and communities of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States County seat: Prescott Cities Cottonwood Peoria‡ Prescott Sedona‡ Towns Camp Verde Chino Valley Clarkdale Dewey-Humboldt Jerome Prescott Valley Wickenburg‡ CDPs Ash Fork Bagdad Big Park Black Canyon City Congress Cordes Lakes Cornville Lake Montezuma Mayer Paulden Peeples Valley Seligman Spring Valley Verde Village Wilhoit Williamson Yarnell Unincorporated communities Cherry Cleator Crown King Drake Iron Springs Kirkland Red Rock Skull Valley Indian reservation Hualapai Indian Reservation Ghost towns Alexandra Big Bug Bradshaw City Bumble Bee Catoctin Cordes Jerome Junction Octave Piedmont Stanton Tip Top Weaver Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e  State of Arizona Phoenix (capital) Topics Index Climate Delegations Geography History Museums Music People Transportation Visitor Attractions Society Culture Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Arizona Strip Arizona Sun Corridor Coconino Plateau Colorado Plateau Grand Canyon Kaibab Plateau Mogollon Plateau Mogollon Rim Mojave Desert Monument Valley North Central Arizona Northeast Arizona Northern Arizona Oak Creek Canyon Phoenix Metropolitan Area Safford area San Francisco Volcanic Field Sonoran Desert Southern Arizona Verde Valley White Mountains Counties Apache Cochise Coconino Gila Graham Greenlee La Paz Maricopa Mohave Navajo Pima Pinal Santa Cruz Yavapai Yuma Cities Chandler Flagstaff Gilbert Glendale Kingman Lake Havasu City Mesa Peoria Phoenix Prescott Scottsdale Sierra Vista Tempe Tucson Yuma

Kathy Cox (born August 10, 1964) is a former superintendent of public schools for the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a Republican. A high school teacher by occupation, Cox also served two terms, from 1998 to 2002, in the Georgia General Assembly, representing Peachtree City, Georgia, prior to her election as superintendent in 2002. Cox sought re-election in 2006, defeating Democratic challenger Denise Majette (a former U.S. representative), earning almost 60 percent of the vote.

Cox is not related to Cathy Cox, a Democrat who was Georgia's elected secretary of state from 1999 until 2007. The similarity in names became the subject of mostly humorous news stories in 2002, when Kathy Cox's defeated opponent, Barbara Christmas, complained that she had lost because of voter confusion between the two Coxes.

On September 5, 2008, Cox became the first million-dollar winner on the American television game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Her final question was, "Who was the longest reigning British monarch?" Cox correctly answered Queen Victoria. Cox intended to donate all her winnings to three schools in Georgia: Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon, Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston, and Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring. All three schools are under the auspices of the Georgia Board of Education.^[1] These plans were affected by her personal bankruptcy in late 2008.^[2]

In May 2010, she announced her resignation effective July 1, 2010 in order to take a position as CEO of a new non-profit U.S. Education Delivery Institute in Washington D.C.^[3] She will no longer seek a third term in office. Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Brad Bryant as the interim State School Superintendent until a replacement (John Barge- Republican) was elected in November 2010.

Evolution controversy[link]

Cox made national news in 2004 by proposing to strike the word "evolution" from Georgia textbooks and replace it with the phrase "biological changes over time." In justifying her decision, she claimed evolution was a buzzword that created problems for teachers in conservative and rural areas, and that she had not been attempting to water down the subject matter.^[4] Among those criticizing the proposal were former President Jimmy Carter–a Georgia resident, a Democrat and a well-known Baptist–saying he was "..embarrassed by Superintendent Kathy Cox's attempt to censor and distort the education of Georgia's students... there can be no incompatibility between Christian faith and proven facts concerning geology, biology, and astronomy."^[5]

Personal bankruptcy[link]

On November 17, 2008, Cox and her husband declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy due to the failure of the husband's home construction business, listing $3.5 million in debt and $650,000 in assets.^[6] The bankruptcy also affected the money won for the schools on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. Fidelity Investments, the investor charged in creating a fund for the donor schools, donated the winnings back to Fox in December 2008 from the schools, placing the prize in a limbo that would not benefit anyone.^[2]

On August 19, 2009, protesters representing deaf and blind children picketed the office of bankruptcy attorney Gary W. Brown in Newnan, over his efforts to take control of the winnings. According to Brown, the winnings belong to the bankruptcy estate, and should be used to pay back creditors.^[7]

In October 2010, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge W. Homer Drake signed off on an agreement to split the $1 million winnings into two equal parts: one half for creditors and the other half for the three state-run schools for the blind and deaf.^[8]

External links[link]

• Georgia Department of Education website
• Kathy Cox For State School Superintendent
• Kathy Cox, Evolve! - Georgia School Superintendent Proposes Dropping Reference To 'Evolution'
• Georgia Considers Banning "Evolution"
• Cox to Appear on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader"

References[link]